“Very well,” he conceded. He pointed across the room and a door slid open. “There is the exit. If you think you can walk out of here, feel free to do so.”
“You’re assuming I can walk at all, after what you just did to me.” Smirking, Melinda decided to rise to the challenge. “Okay.” She rolled off the bed and got to her feet. As she suspected, her legs felt a little on the rubbery side. “Damn.”
“Go on,” he said, waving his hand.
“Give me a minute, okay? Fuck…” Shaking her head, Melinda started for the door, determined. With each step, however, she felt an ache…a longing…a pull.
She frowned and tried to push on. She failed. I need to be with him, she admitted. Every part of me, right down to my fucking DNA. She gave up, her groan dissolving into laughter.
“What have you done to me?” She turned around to face him. “I can’t leave.”
He smiled. “Yes, you can.” Swinging out of bed, he stood and walked toward her. He had a sexy walk to him, especially when naked. “This is all about power – willpower. If you really wanted to leave, you would, just as I would leave you. But neither of us wants that.”
He took her face in his hands and gazed down into her eyes. “I desire you, Melinda. Not because of your bloodline. For you. Athan could have killed us both but you stood up to him. You called upon the strength within you and combined it with the power within me, and you used it to save us both.”
He stroked a thumb across her plump lips. “A woman like that is one who I would have at my side for all time…if she would have me, at hers.”
“Am I going to slip into a trance every time we have sex?” she asked, brows tilting upward.
He shrugged. “I suppose there is only one way to find out.” Leaning down, he covered her mouth with his own.
Melinda returned the kiss. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she allowed him to sweep her up and carry her back to the bed.
Chapter Twelve
Melinda had to admit she was a bit nervous about Roth meeting her family. She did not often bring home boyfriends, not because she was embarrassed of them, but mostly because she was embarrassed by her family. Her family was really out of touch with the world outside of their little town, but then again Roth was an actual alien so he was pretty out of touch with everything on Earth.
It had been an interesting trip coming back to Earth and Melinda was thrilled that Roth wanted to do it. Even though she had pretty much accepted that the two of them needed each other and that she was free to go as she pleased, she was still apprehensive that Roth might get nervous about her going back home or stepping back for even the smallest glimpses into her former life. But surprisingly he was fine with it; it had even been his idea.
Her mother and father had been a bit taken aback by him, but she could tell that her mother and sister were practically drooling over how sexy Roth was. Even though Melinda had always considered herself attractive, even if she was a bigger girl, her family always thought it was odd that she was able to get very attractive men interested in her. It was not something they had ever directly said to her, but she could tell by the remarks they made to each other and the way they were always surprised that her boyfriends were sexy. Of course, Roth was by far the best looking she’d ever been with; the man made Liam Hemsworth look like an average Joe. He was immaculate looking.
Her mom had made a huge feast for her arrival. It had been a long time since she’d been home. She almost expected her mom and dad to resent her for leaving, but they had come to grips with the fact that they had a very independent-minded daughter who was very much her own person and not going to live her life according to the rules set forth by anybody else.
Roth was learning that too.
After the dinner, her mom cornered her to talk about a few things.
“So, how are you, Melinda?”
“I’m fine,” Melinda replied. “Why do you ask? Do I not seem fine?” Of course, she had been almost murdered a few days ago by a psycho, but she decided not to bring that up at the moment.
“You do, but it’s just strange that we hardly hear from you and when we do you show up with the find of the century,” her mother Julia said.
Melinda had to smile. “I know; he is something isn’t he?”
“That he is,” Julia replied. “What does he do for work?”
Melinda thought quickly. “He is a traveling salesman,” she said.
“Really? Like the pharmaceutical guy?”
“Kind of, but he sells life insurance. His company is expanding and he is about to embark on a big road trip where he goes from state to state working with the local branches there to teach the sales techniques to be used to drum up more business.”
“Well, that is interesting, I suppose.”
Melinda smiled. “I know it’s not, but he likes it. And he is really good at it; he has this way about him that helps to lure people in.”
“Is that what happened to you?”
“No, I was lured in by his killer smile and sparkling eyes,” she said.
Her mother laughed and shook her head. Hearing her daughter speak of sexual attraction had always embarrassed her mother to death. It was funny to make her mother blush that way.
“I’ve missed you mom,” Melinda said.
“We’ve missed you too, sweetie. When are you coming back home?”
Melinda sighed. “I’m still working on getting into film school and saving the money. I’m not going to give up on it, mom. I love it too much and I love living out there. It’s amazing. There is so much going on; it’s not like here. I need more than this. You know how restless I get.”
Her mother shook her head. “I know. Your father does too, and we both support your decision. But you have to understand how hard it is for him. You are his little girl after all.”
Melinda smiled. “I know.”
They walked in silence for a few minutes more, the cool air felt strange against Melinda’s skin after being gone for so long. It was like her blood had thinned out and she could not handle the cold the way she once did, but then again she had always hated the cold which was another reason why she moved to southern California, to begin with.
“I’m going to be gone for a while; not just in California, but in general. Roth as asked me to go with him on this trip. His company is pretty much paying for everything—meals, room, car, gas. It will be several months, maybe five or six.”
“Oh, wow. This thing is getting pretty serious. How long have you dated Roth?”
Melinda thought about lying and saying it had been months, but she didn’t like to lie to anybody, especially her mom.
“Not long. I’m sure you think this is all too fast, and maybe you are right, but I have to discover things on my own and go by what feels right to me. That’s how I’ve always been, so this should not be a surprise.”
“No, you are right; it is not a surprise. You are one of the most level-headed women I have ever met sweetie. I’m proud to be your mother. And I know you will be fine.”
Melinda felt the tears well up in her eyes. “I love you momma,” Melinda said hugging her mom tightly.
“I love you, too.”
Epilogue
The west-facing Temple of the Feathered Serpent – or as the locals called it, Templo de Quetzalcoatl – stood in the center of San Juan Teotihuacan, an hour northeast of Mexico City. Dark-colored steps of a once-grand staircase came to a broken end several tiers from the top, forcing one to scale the remaining distance of the crumbling pyramid in the same manner as climbing a mountain.
“I’ve got this,” Melinda said, grunting as she made her way up the last few feet to the top.
“Are you certain?” Already at the peak, Roth watched her with an amused look on his face. She paused to glare up at him and he laughed. “Come on,” he said, offering his hand to her.
Reluctantly, she took it and allowed him to help her conquer the final steps. “I’m pretty sure we shouldn’t even be up here,”
she said, still winded from the climb.
“Why not? It is my temple, after all.” He drew her close, wrapping his arms around her as they stood together at last atop the ancient building dedicated to him long ago, by a culture that had revered him as a god.
“Wow,” Melinda breathed. The warm breeze actually felt good against her sweaty face as she took a moment to look out at the land around them. A few strands of hair that had escaped her braid blew across her face and she brushed them away. She pointed to two structures located to the north.
“What are those?”
“The Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, respectively,” Roth said.
The wind played havoc with his white-blond hair, as well, but he didn’t seem to mind. His wild mane danced around his head like the feathered crests of the stone serpent heads circling the temple.
“The Moon, the Sun, and the Morning Star,” Melinda mused.
She shook her head and leaned back into him, her arms resting over his as he enfolded her from behind.
“It’s weird how different it all looks, now, compared to how it did in my visions.” She recalled the first one she had, of the two of them making love on this very spot. “There used to be a room up here at the top, but it’s gone.”
“It was a long time ago,” he said and kissed her neck. “But I agree. There had been more trees, then…and the temple had been intact, not in its current state of deterioration.”
Melinda reached into the pocket of her denim capris and tugged out a folded brochure. “According to this,” she said, opening it up, “the Aztec people had waited for Quetzalcoatl to return. They even thought he had, when Cortez showed up from Spain.”
She craned her neck to grin up at him. “Kind of funny how that’s my last name.”
“Appropriate,” Roth mused. “After all, you did conquer my heart…”
“Oh my God.” Melinda laughed and rolled her eyes. “Can I get some wine with that cheese?” She relaxed into his arms and rested her head against his shoulder. “At any rate, they were expecting you – the sky-serpent who came from the stars – to come back. And here you are.”
She glanced up at his chiseled profile. “Better late than never, huh?”
“The time of dragons has passed for Earth,” Roth said, squinting out over the land that now appeared dry and barren compared to the lush green jungles of long ago.
“There are other worlds to explore, now.” He sighed. “I do not think I would like to be looked upon as a god again. Too much responsibility.”
“Yeah,” Melinda said. “And messy, when you think about all the human sacrifices…”
“No such rituals occurred under my reign,” Roth said with an indignant snort. “You confuse me with someone else.”
“My bad.” Melinda turned in his arms and plucked at one of the buttons on his blue chambray shirt, fighting the urge to open one more and expose the full expanse of his hard chest.
“So, I guess you’ll be taking off soon to go check out those other planets…”
She found it difficult to look into his eyes, knowing he would see the doubts that had started to surface since they returned to Earth.
He touched her under the chin with one finger and gently forced her to lift her head.
“You hide your mind from me,” he said, “and yet I feel your sorrow.” His brows drew together in a frown. “What troubles you?”
She could have let him see for himself, connect to his energy and allow him to feel her pain as she had once felt his.
“Hearing you talk about other worlds,” she said. “You’re an explorer. That’s what you were always meant to be – out there in space, making new discoveries…maybe even finding a way to help your people rejuvenate without having to trick women into being sex slaves.” She grimaced. “I guess I’m just afraid it’s all going to end, now.”
“What will end?”
“This. Us.” Melinda gave a hopeless shrug and shook her head. “You’re eternal, but what am I?” She smiled and finally managed to look up into his eyes. “I want the best for you…but I’m also going to miss you.”
Roth stared at her. A rumbling laugh rose from his chest like the roll of thunder on a distant horizon.
“Still as ignorant as the day we first met,” he said, with a teasing grin. He placed his hands on her shoulders. “As I have told you before, you are mine. You belong to me – but I also belong to you. Our souls are entwined and cannot be separated. Where I go, you go.”
She blinked. “Are you saying you want me to travel the universe with you?”
“Of course.” Roth gazed into her eyes and opened his own mind, allowing all his thoughts and feelings to flow forth like a gentle stream, warm and comforting.
“I spent so many years being angry and rebellious,” he whispered, “I forgot how to be tender and kind.” He smiled. “Then I met you. You unearthed my broken heart, pulled it from the grave and gave life to it once more. You have reminded me how to love. For that and so much more, I will always need you, Melinda. Never leave me.”
Hearing someone say they needed her, to know she held a place of importance in someone else’s life, filled Melinda with a profound feeling of contentment. Something else he said caught her attention.
“Hang on,” she said. “Did you just say...I reminded you how to love?”
“Yes.”
I need to hear him say it, she thought. I need to know it’s real. She had held off using the words herself, even as she began falling for him. Deep down, despite all that talk about bonding and connections and shared energy, she still did not believe she would ever be capable of finding a special place in another person’s heart.
Maybe you need to say it first. Even if you’ve been hurt a million times over by everyone you ever said it to, before.
“Melinda?” Roth looked at her, head tilted slightly. “Are you all right?”
“I love you,” she blurted out before she could stop herself.
Roth blinked. Melinda braced herself, certain that she had just ruined everything.
Then he said, “I love you, too.”
Startled, Melinda raised her head and stared at him. “R-really?”
He chuckled. “I see you have reverted to your former habit of not listening to me. Have you truly heard nothing I have said to you? I tell you I need you, I cannot live without you, I want you with me always.”
He spread his arms, palms up, and looked around. “Shall I shout it to the world?” He cupped his hands around his mouth and, drawing a deep breath, began to bellow, “I lo—“
“Okay!” Melinda grabbed at his wrists and yanked his hands down. She still didn’t know if they had permission to be up here… “All right. I believe you. You love me.”
He loves me! On impulse, she reached up, took hold of Roth’s face, and pulled him down to give him a quick, firm kiss on the lips.
“I’m still trying to get a handle on this ‘listening’ thing. Just…be patient with me. I’ve got a lot of years’ worth of issues to clear out.”
“I will endeavor to assist you in any way possible.” Enfolding her in his arms, Roth covered her mouth with his in a deep and passionate kiss that lasted several minutes.
“Guess we should be going,” Melinda said when they separated. She looked back the way they had come and grunted. “Hm. Well, unless you want to do your little teleportation trick, I have a feeling the climb back down is going to take longer than the climb up.”
“Why climb,” Roth asked, “when we can fly?”
As Melinda watched, he unfurled his wings, momentarily blocking out the sun as they flexed up and outward from his shoulders.
“Oh my God,” she said. “Are you serious?”
“Are you afraid?” Roth challenged.
Melinda looked up at him. She saw the love in his eyes, and the smile on his lips made her break into a grin.
“Not with you,” she said. She snaked her arms around his neck. “Fly, Dragon-man.”
L
ocking his arms around her, Roth sprang into the air, his great wings beating. As they shot up through the clouds, Melinda let out a whoop of delight. She didn’t look down.
And she never looked back, either.
*****
THE END
Sheltered by the Alpha Bear
Description
Love brought them together. The world tried to tear them apart. But a Bear won’t be denied…
I’ve tried to fight it. The passion, the danger, the raw sexual attraction—it is all wrong for me to feel this way about an unavailable man. But I can’t help myself. The Christmas season is about giving and receiving, not taking. This is so not like me to feel this way, but when I’m around Tony I just can’t help myself. The very fact that he is here right now… it has to be fate… right?
The past year has been so hard. I lost a promising career that was just taking off, blackballed from the industry so no one will hire me, and I was infected with the bear shifter curse.
And sweet Derek, helping me through it all has been wonderful, and of course, I know he would like to be much more than friends… but I've never seen him that way really. But I'm so glad he invited me and my one-year-old son, Devon to vacation with his family at a beautiful ski resort for Christmas.
I tried to keep my feelings bottled up, but the flirty glances, the sweet conversations, and the way Tony looks at me when no one else is around makes it so hard…but he is with Beth, Derek’s sister. It’s so wrong.
And now someone at the lodge has been murdered. By what appears to be some sort of vicious animal… in a house full of bear shifters, I have to wonder. Could my baby and I be living with a murderer? And is the man I’m falling in love with who I think he is?
Chapter One
“To Jackie Banks! The fastest rising star of Pierce, Montgomery, and Thorn!”
Everyone in the room raised their glasses of champagne and took a drink before breaking into a thunderous applause and praises of “Way to go!” and “I knew you could do it!”
The Bear Shifter's Baby Page 17